Cured: A Tale of Two Imaginary BoysAuthor: Lol TolhurstRelease Date: October 11, 2016Publisher: De Capo Press

The Cure have released thirteen albums in their career. Thirteen. Not many bands are able to say that, let alone say that they began their career as teenagers. While Robert Smith has been the sole member of The Cure that has kept the torch of their music alive in the studio and in the live atmosphere, drummer-and-eventual-keyboardist Lol Tolhurt was one of the founding members of the band. Here he presents a tell-all account of his time with the band, all the way back to childhood, and all the way through detailing his own personal struggles with loss, love, and addiction.

Cured is a gorgeous account of The Cure's rise to stardom, as told from the person sitting behind the drum kit and keyboards that first became known in bars, then clubs, and eventually stadiums the world over. The band's rise to fame is not one that traverses a path full of ease, and Tolhurst's poetic stories describing every mishap and success along the way are captivating and fun to absorb every step of the way. There isn't so much talk here about the songwriting process or how certain songs came to be, other than an anecdote or two here and there. The main focus of this story is also not necessarily just focused on Tolhurst, but on the friendship and working relationship between Smith and Tolhurst as the band begins to grow. It's a hard book to put down once you begin reading it.

From the moment you hear Tolhurst recount the time he first met a young Robert Smith as a child getting on the bus to school in Crawley, West Sussex, up until the very last page, you will be enamored by the story of these Imaginary Boys, and how they managed to overcome their obstacles to make a band that still resonates with the world today.